Pagina's

Thursday, March 31, 2016

Yesterday, I showed you two garments made with Sofilantjes'* newest
pattern, the Semper Sweater*. Today, the last day of the release sale, I
am showing you two more sweaters. I made this dog sweater because I was
not satisfied with the pocket print blocking on the raccoon version.
This one has the same fabric on the pockets as on the main front. I really like it, the combination of these two fabrics was not my idea, I just took it from her (scroll to the bottom of that post).

The
sweater is intended for my son, but he was not in the mood to pose (I added two of his pictures to give you a good chuckle, so feel free to do so). I
took him away from his computer game without warning, so it was my own
fault of course ;). Fortunately my daughter was kind enough to pose in
the sweater, she really likes the sweater, so the sweater might even move
to her closet. Who do you think wears it best (and yes, that is the same pair of trousers, I just loved the color combi, it is short on her, but it does not show like this)? The dog
fabric is from Stoffenelf.

I
have been intentionally focussing on short sleeved items lately, but
like I said yesterday, my son does not agree. He wants to me able to
wear his new clothes now, and not wait for the spring that seems to take for
ever to arrive. While he was ranting, he also said he was also disappointed
that I had not made something from the fluffy fabric I bought last year.
I had apparently promised him something for winter, because the fabric
is rather warm, but I did not deliver. I realized he was right and sewed
up this ensemble the next day. The robot fabric is nicki jersey from Lillestoff, so my son can not stop caressing it.

Personally,
I am not a fan of using the same fabric for tops and bottoms. Even if
you use your prettiest fabric it will look like a PJ or track suit. My
son though, loves to wear the same fabric, he has a different fashion
sense. I have been winning the battle of not-wearing the whole outfit to
school though. In theory, he is allowed to wear the sweater as a
standalone piece on plain trousers outside the house. It has not come to
that, for days he has been switching into this clothing
combination, the moment he gets home.

This is not an an
official neckline for the Semper, but it is easily created. The Semper
has a curved V neck which I slightly recut and added ribbing knit
(about 80% of the length of the neckline). I foresaw him sporting and
sleeping in this outfit, so I decided against a hood. The trousers of the
outfit are the Domi*, like last time I shortened the rise a bit because
my son likes to wear his trousers on his hips.

The pattern comes in sizes 12m/80
to 14/164 and is available in both Dutch* and English*
pdf. The pattern is still on sale, with a more than 40%
discount for only $5 (excl. tax) for a few more hourse (sale ends Thursday night European time).

I love to hear what you think of my creations. Feel free
to leave a comment in the language you prefer (although Google
translate might have to assist me if you choose something different than
English, German, Dutch or Hungarian). If you buy anything through my
affiliate links (*), I get a small commission (the price stays the same for
you), I am very grateful for everything that feeds my fabric addiction.

Wednesday, March 30, 2016

I told you, Anne from Sofilantjes* is on a roll right? Pattern number three from 2016 is released
today, the Semper* sweater. It is an unisex sweater pattern with pockets
that becomes a dress with the free dress add on pieces. This new sweater
is the brother of the Hibernis*, the Hibernis has a skinny fit, the
Semper has a loose fit (making it more suitable for boys as well), a different sleeve type, a fixed cowl and a new type of hood. Today,
I am showing you both a sweater and a dress.

Let's start
with the sweater. The side pieces invite to some interesting color
blocking. I used another fabric piece from the sweater that I used here,
and color blocked both the pocket and side piece with stripes. The idea
behind it was that the pocket binding would look like another stripe,
and it would make the pocket somewhat invisible. With hindsight, I like it better if the pocket has the same fabric as the front, but I get points for trying right?

There are two
neckline options on the Semper, a hood and a cowl. My kids are huge hood
fans, so I did not try the cowl option yet. The hood has an
interesting folding detail, that I kind a forgot to make a detail
picture off (palm to the face, so added a zoomed picture). If you check out the pattern in the shop you can see
the overlap in the pattern drawing and listing though. The neckline of
the Semper is the same as the neckline of the Omni Tempore, which means
you can interchange the hoods!

The Semper has a raglan
sleeve and comes in two sleeve lengths, short and long sleeves. Like I
told earlier, my current sewing is sun orientated, so short sleeves have my
preference. My son did not agree, more about that in my next post.

You
can also make the Semper without separate side panels. No-blocking
is also an official pattern option, those full pieces are supplied as
well. Although my kids consider having pockets to be a basic need, you can consider the Semper to be a combination of a great basic pattern (no separate side panels) and
a speciality pattern.

The free dress add-on pieces both fit the Semper and the Omni Tempore. As suggested in the pattern, I
took one size smaller for my daughter for a skinnier fit
(normally she has one size bigger than her brother), which meant I could
reuse the shirt pieces I had cut earlier. I used the Semper pockets at
the bottom of the dress. I like the color blocking effect it gives, and
because it is a minidress, she can even put her hands in them.

The
raccoon fabric is from Lillestoff. As mentioned before, the stripes are
from a recycled shirt. The purple fabric is from Nosh and is called
"Cherry Friends" and I bought it last year from Joyfits (for a very low price).
The pink ribbing is also from Joyfits and the dark pink side panel fabric, I
bought on a market once.

Mental note to self, now that you can make pictures outside again, find a spot without a huge amount of weeds in the background...

The pattern comes in sizes 12m/80
to 14/164 and is available in both Dutch* and English* pdf. The pattern
will be on sale for only $5 (excl. tax) for two days only (more than 40% discount), so get your
copy now! The free dress add-on is automatically added to your Semper order and should already be visible in your files if you already bought the Omium Tempore. If you make a Semper and post it in the Sofilantjes Sew and Show Facebook group with ‪#‎freesempersweater, you might win back you money.
Check the group for the details.

I love to hear what you think of my creations. Feel free
to leave a comment in the language you prefer (although Google
translate might have to assist me if you choose something different than
English, German, Dutch or Hungarian). If you buy anything through my
affiliate links (*), I get a small commission (the price stays the same for
you), I am very grateful for everything that feeds my fabric addiction.

Saturday, March 26, 2016

A bit more than a year ago, I "officially" told you I am a fan of
the blog Skirt Fixation. 13 Months have past, and I am still one of
Audrey's groupies. Besides all the fun things she organizes on her blog
she has taken up an organizing role in Project run and Play and in Top Stitchers! Yes, I am feel some positive jealousy about both positions.
At the beginning of the year, Audrey and her daughters posted a list of goals for 2016 and one of them was continuing the "Ugly skirt challenge".
For a while already, I felt the desire to participate, but I assumed
that postage to Europe would be an obstacle, but it wasn't! In the last
weekend of February, I received my ugly skirt challenge package and
today I show you the result of the battle.

I feel I was lucky
in my skirt draw. All the fabrics were 100% cotton, that is something I
can work with! The best refashions use elements of the original
garment, look at these refashion patterns for great examples of using original elements. Looking at
the skirt, this refashion quickly came to mind. The waist drawstring
became the halter, done, easy-peasy. A true no-sew refashion.

You
knew I was joking, right (or just remembered the first picture of the post)? As you can see on the picture, the skirt was a
huge maxi skirt with so many different fabrics that it kind of gave me a headache. The fabrics themselves were fine, more than fine (there even was an uni-color black underskirt). Black-and-white is totally trending right now. Before I could start my refashion, I
first wanted to see what I had to work with. I spend a few hours seam
ripping almost all of the seams, but it was totally worth it. At first
glance I had not realized there were four different prints, the upper
two just looked too similar. As I have four kids I decided that they
all would get a fabric. I am a huge fan of black-and-white print mix as
you can see in this and this post, but these prints just did not
mix the right way.

After total deconstruction I started
sewing pieces back together. I started with the fabric that had been on
the bottom. I had a few meter fabric, but with that height I could only
create skirts. I therefore sewed three stripes on each other to create a
decent fabric piece and turned it into a dress for my eldest. I used a
free pattern from Flosstyle, the Paradise dress to make a peasant style
summer dress. I went for a bit wider dress (I put the pattern piece a
few centimetre from the fold) and I added shirring elastic to the waist.

I
used the original drawstring as bias tape. After I took out the seams, I
simply refolded it (sandwiching the fabrics between it) and sewed it
with one seam in place. That counts as using original elements right? Of
course, I also added pockets. This fabric print is simply perfect for a
peasant dress, but I wanted to spice it up a little bit. I took two red
beads and a red textile marker and added a splash of red to the black-and-white print. It is very subtle, but I feel it makes a difference.
Although the dress has some vertical seams, they are not really visible.
One became hidden in the shirring elastic, but a lower one is hiding in
"plain" sight, it is visible not does not bother me.

The second
fabric that quickly got a destination was the mostly black one with
white paisley's on it. I felt it was a perfect print for a button up
shirt for my son. I hope to make him a flower version once, but let's
work up to that one. I made another Theo. An official one with buttons
holes, my sewing skills have developed over the past year. I had to sew
two fabric pieces together to create a wide enough piece for the back. I
matched the print and the seam is hidden in the back pleat, so it
really is invisible.

I used the black underskirt to cut the
upper back and inside of the collar from, there was not enough "main
fabric for those pieces. The outer collar had to be pieced together. I
managed to create a matching front, my front overlaps less than usual,
so the buttons are relatively close to the side, but it works. My son
was allowed to pick his own buttons. I love the splash of blue.

For
my youngest, I combined the underskirt and top fabric from the original
skirt. The waistband print and upper piece were the same print, but
they were separate pieces. I could not do a print match and just sewed
the pieces together to make a high enough piece for a bodice. I was
inspired by her, who was again inspired by her. I started with the Sally bodice, but heavily redrew the bodice.

I had planned to
have such a big neckline that her head would just fit, I was not
successful and ended up cutting the back bodice in two. To save width I
used one of the original dress hangers (less wide than the drawstring)
as bias tape. I solved the back closure the same way as with this dress.
This dress also has pockets. I machine embroidered pink flowers on the
original underskirt hem.

The last piece of fabric that
remained was a piece that kind a hurt my eyes if I looked at it long. I
really did not like it. I considered just turning it into a skirt, quick
and easy, but then another quick and easy plan came to mind. This trouser refashion is still one of my favourites, and I felt that this
piece would be a decent pair of trousers. So, Domi* to the rescue. I had
to make the leg pieces slightly narrower, or else I could not cut them
from the fabric, but it worked.

I used the waist and wrist
cuffs from an old sweater for the waist band and leg cuffs. I even used
the original elastic, after a good steaming it was as good as new. The
trousers have inseam pockets because having the typical Domi* pockets
would have been to much for this fabric. She loves her new trousers, and
I have to say that even I like them. The shirt is not the best colour match, but
in my defence I managed to talk her out of the skirt she was wearing on
top of her trousers.

So no pictures of the four of them
together, but I think three at a time is a fine score. My background
might even be too narrow for four kids. What do you think, who won, me or
the skirt? Did you get inspired to enter the same battle, send a massage to Skirt Fixation and you might be the next lucky one to show your strength.

I love to hear what you think of my creations. Feel free
to leave a comment in the language you prefer (although Google
translate might have to assist me if you choose something different than
English, German, Dutch or Hungarian). If you buy anything through my
affiliate links (*), I get a small commission (the price stays the same for
you), I am very grateful for everything that feeds my fabric addiction.

About me

I am a Dutch mother of four (three girls and one boy) and an academic. I love to create and use this blog to share my creations with the world. I knit, crochet, sew, bake etc. and many of those skills I learned from bloggers around the globe. I hope you like reading about my creative adventures and that they may inspire you.